KISS Songfic Series
by Kimiko1
Summary: YAOI Rating may rise as fic progresses. Five years after Endless Waltz, pilots 01 and 02 happen to run into each other.


Title: Black Diamond  
Author: Kimiko  
Fandom: Gundam Wing  
Pairing: 1+2+1  
Series: KISS Songfic Series  
Spoilers: None really.  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimers: The G-Boyz ain't mine, no matter how many stars  
I wish upon... "Black Diamond" ain't mine, it was written by  
Paul Stanley and performed by KISS.  
Warnings: Shounen-ai. Angst.  
  
A/N: I don't know anything about New York City, hell I've  
never even been there. It doesn't even have to be New York,  
does it? It could be Detroit. It could be Chicago. It could  
be LA. But it's New York, because (obscurely and for no  
tangible reason) of Disney's "Oliver and Company". This is  
set about five years after the end of EW.  
  
~HAJIME~  
  
The morning sunlight broke upon the crowded streets of New  
York City. The shadows of a filthy alley in the business  
district barely concealed a slender young man, aided  
partially by his black clothing. His hands alternately  
fingered the end of his long chestnut braid and fiddled with  
the golden crucifix at his throat - his only sign of  
movement as his violet eyes watched the crowds intently. He  
waited, carefully silent, searching for his opportunity. His  
nimble fingers worked more desperately in his hair, and he  
worried at his lower lip, as he realized that this would be  
the fifth day in a row if the opportunity didn't come.  
  
There! Duo shot through the crowd like lightning as a  
businessman stumbled. He caught the man's arm. "You okay?" he  
asked, grinning cheerfully. "Don't wanna get trampled by this  
lot!" Duo gestured to indicate the throng, and while the  
man's attention was distracted, slid his other hand into one  
pocket and removed the fat wallet inside.  
  
"Yeah," the man was agreeing. "Hey, thanks, kid."  
  
"No problem!" Duo grinned again. "I gotta get going, man!" He  
threw a casual salute and dashed off into the crowd, his  
braid trailing behind him.  
  
The businessman, sensing that somehow something was not right,  
reached into his pocket. His wallet was missing! He stared in  
the direction Duo had gone. "Stop! Thief!"  
  
"Kuso!" Duo slid into an alley and began running for all he  
was worth.  
  
[Out on the street for a living  
Picture's only begun  
Got you under their thumb  
Hit it]  
  
Heero Yuy sat in the room he had rented at a sleazy motel,  
glaring coldly at the screen of his laptop. His fingertips  
flew over the keys, as he shifted numbers around in the  
database he was hacking. The numbers, this time,  
represented bills paid and accounts cleared. Suddenly a  
tiny bleeping sounded. Heero paused, then clicked into his  
email account and opened the incoming message. He scanned it  
quickly, nodded once, and shut the laptop.  
  
"Ninmu ryoukai."  
  
The man's estate, though luxurious, was guarded with only  
the usual security precautions. Heero fingered his gun  
absently as he disabled the alarms, then silently made his  
way into the compound. Hn, good thing there was no braided  
baka with him to fuck up the mission.  
  
When the Preventers had disbanded in 198, all the gundam  
pilots had gone their separate ways. Well, Trowa had stayed  
with Quatre (as far as Heero knew), but that was to be  
expected. But he hadn't seen Duo in - gods, had it been  
three years? He didn't know what the baka was doing to  
survive, but Heero had become a hired assassin.  
  
Once the job was done, he exited the estate and reactivated  
the security system, then made his way through the streets  
of New York.  
  
"Ninmu kanryou."  
  
[Out on the streets for a living  
Picture's only begun  
Your day is sorrow and madness  
Got you under their thumb]  
  
Duo ducked into the shelter carrying the wallet and several  
bags of groceries. "Marge!" he called. "Yo, Marge! I, uh...  
found... this wallet on the street today, could you turn it  
in to the cops?"  
  
Marge, a stout woman in her late 50s who ran the shelter,  
smiled. "How much of it did you spend, Duo?"  
  
Duo shifted guiltily. "Not all of it. We need to get by,  
Marge. Since they cut the funding, the kids in here, they  
don't have anybody. I do what I have to do."  
  
"DUO!" He turned, and several small bodies glomped onto him,  
nearly sending the groceries flying. Marge shook her head  
and deftly relieved him of the bags, heading toward the  
kitchen. Duo grinned and allowed himself to be dragged to  
the ground and tickled silly.  
  
[Whoo, black diamond]  
  
Heero found himself inexplicably in the bad part of town,  
passing abandoned buildings and empty lots fenced in old  
chain-link. Young teens, male and female, flaunted  
themselves on the street corners, or sold drugs in the  
alleys. A gaggle of happier-looking youngsters exploded  
from the doors of what appeared to be a homeless shelter,  
giggling gleefully. Three of them ducked back inside and  
attempted to drag someone out. "Walk with us!" they  
chorused. "Take us to school!"  
  
"Okay, all right, I'm coming!" Heero sucked in a breath.  
He knew that voice... Duo.  
  
The braided American made his way into the center of the  
children's little group. "Okay, everybody join hands, and  
don't wander off." The children joined hands, forming an  
unruly line. Duo led them across the street and turned in  
what was presumably the direction of their school.  
  
Heero followed dumbly, seeing Duo as if for the first time.  
He had grown a few inches taller, his hair had gained a foot  
and a half - but he was as beautiful as the last time Heero  
had seen him.  
  
He shook his head, startled. Where had that come from?  
  
[Whoo, black diamond]  
  
Duo blinked up at the sky, shoving his hands in his pockets  
as it clouded up and threatened loudly to rain. He didn't  
mind rain, provided it was light and above a certain  
temperature, but New York rain tended to come down in  
buckets. Having enough water was good. Having it ice cold  
and dumped on top of you was bad. He grinned to himself.  
There wasn't anyone alive who could argue with that. Even  
Heero would wait out a cold downpour.  
  
Was Heero even still alive? Probably. The bastard could  
survive anything, had time and again. Even Duo's own curse  
hadn't been able to touch him.  
  
"They all died," he could have been heard to mutter, had  
anyone been paying attention. "Everyone I ever loved, except  
Heero." His mask of cheerfulness slipped for just an instant,  
but the crowded streets of New York didn't notice. "'Course,  
all of *them* at least cared what happened to me."  
  
[Darkness will fall on the city  
It seems to follow you too]  
  
Heero watched from the shadows as Duo passed, shoulders  
hunched and moving fairly quickly. Heero could see why;  
it was probably going to rain. Cold downpour, most likely.  
He really ought to get back to the motel. Yet he followed  
Duo. Why, he didn't know.  
  
He'd never done anything without knowing why, until he met  
Duo. Then, it had seemed to start happening all the time.  
Protecting Deathscythe in battle. Rescuing the baka, instead  
of killing him, when he'd gone and gotten himself captured.  
Interesting, he mused, how all such incidents had centered  
around Duo.  
  
Heero watched as the braided baka entered the shelter. Why  
he followed, he couldn't say. Maybe he just wanted to get  
out of the rain.  
  
When had it started raining?  
  
"Duo." His voice came out sounding cold, lifeless. Other  
people's voices didn't sound like that. How did they do it?  
He didn't know.  
  
Duo turned. "HEERO?!" The baka's eyes were wide and startled,  
but that manic grin, as always, was firmly in place. "Oi man,  
you still alive?" So, apparently, was the chatter. "Where've  
you been? I haven't seen you in, like, years! Ne Marge, this  
is Heero, who I fought with in the war!"  
  
Marge came out of the kitchen, dusting flour off her hands.  
"Oh, you're both drenched!" she exclaimed. "I'll go get you  
a couple blankets." She left, calling over her shoulder,  
"It's nice to meet you, Heero."  
  
Heero didn't need a blanket. He was just a little damp, that  
was all. But Duo was accepting the blankets without protest,  
so he did the same.  
  
[And though you don't ask for pity  
There's nothin' that you can do, no, no]  
  
"So where you been, man?" Duo asked. "Haven't heard from you.  
Whatcha been up to?"  
  
"Working," Heero replied shortly.  
  
"Yeah? What kinda work?" Duo pressed.  
  
"You watch the news this morning?"  
  
"No." Duo frowned. "Oi Marge, what was in the news this  
morning?"  
  
"Oh, that," she called from the kitchen. "Some bigshot  
politician got himself assassinated."  
  
Heero nodded sharply. "That kind of work."  
  
"You're an assassin?" Duo squeaked. "What do you make?"  
  
Heero shrugged. "Depends on the job. Today... Five. Plus  
expenses."  
  
"Five what?"  
  
"Million."  
  
Duo's eyes widened. "Shit, man, I knew I was in the wrong  
business!"  
  
"Hn," was all the response he'd thought he'd get. But then,  
"What do you do?" Heero asked.  
  
"Me?" Duo shrugged. "What I can, what I've always done."  
The other just stared at him, waiting. Duo sighed. "Heero,  
I'm a common thief."  
  
"Hn."  
  
[Whoo, black diamond  
Whoo, black diamond]  
  
"Oi!" Duo brightened as something occurred to him. "Ne  
Heero, what if I helped you? Just for a while, until I get  
a name for myself in the business. Then I could work on my  
own, and send some of my money to the shelter!"  
  
"I work alone," Heero growled.  
  
"Oh come on, man, we had some good times during the war! We  
worked together then!" Duo pointed out.  
  
"Hai," Heero snapped, "and you fucked up my missions how  
many times?"  
  
"Oi!" Duo frowned. "We won, didn't we? Come on, man, it'd  
only be for a coupla months!"  
  
Heero puffed out a breath. "Fine. We leave town right now."  
  
Duo blinked. "Now? But the kids'll think I've abandoned  
them!"  
  
Heero glared at him. "You are abandoning them."  
  
"No I'm not!" Duo exclaimed. "I'm gonna come visit! Come on,  
Heero, you gotta let me at least say goodbye!"  
  
"Hn." He paused. "Write a note."  
  
"Yeah!" Duo brightened. "That's a great idea! Oi, Marge! Get  
me a pen and some   
paper, would you?"  
  
"You know where it is, get it your damn self," was her  
cheerful reply.  
  
"Okeedoke," said Duo cheerfully. He left the room briefly,  
then reappeared clutching a ratty old notebook and a magic  
marker. "Dear Munchkins," he muttered, scrawling hastily,  
"Sorry I had to leave, but I'll come back soon to visit. Be  
good for Marge. Do your homework. I... love you guys." Duo  
was blinking hastily as he signed the note, as if there was  
something in his eye. He placed it conspicuously on the  
table, swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, and  
turned. "Okay, let's go."  
  
[Out on the streets for a living  
Picture's only begun  
Your day is sorrow and madness  
Got you under their thumb]  
  
Heero's pickup truck was old, rusty, and puke green. Duo  
climbed into it gingerly, avoiding the springs poking out  
of the seat, and fastened the seatbelt securely. "So where  
we goin'?"  
  
"Don't know," Heero replied.  
  
"Well, tell me when we get there," Duo yawned. "I'm going  
to sleep." He leaned his head against the window, closed his  
eyes, and promptly began to snore.  
  
Heero shook his head. "Baka."  
  
[Whoo, black diamond, yeah  
Whoo, black diamond]  
  
~TSUZUKU~  



End file.
